Thermo-regulated apparel is apparel that includes a thermal device for adding or removing heat from a body of a wearer. Thermo-regulated apparel may be implemented in a wide-variety of products and has many uses. For example, a thermo-regulated jacket may keep a person warm on a cold day or cool on a hot day. Likewise, a thermo-regulated brace or bandage may be used to cool a body part (e.g., to reduce swelling after an injury) or heat a body part (e.g., to relieve muscle pain).
Thermo-regulated apparel may be categorized as either active or passive. Active thermo-regulated apparel may be used to maintain a temperature set by the wearer. Conventional thermal devices used in active thermo-regulated apparel include resistive heaters for heating and compressive coolers for cooling. By contrast, passive thermo-regulated apparel is capable of simply adding or removing heat, without maintaining a desired temperature. Conventional thermal devices used for passive thermo-regulated apparel include chemical reaction systems for heating and phase change materials for cooling. Conventional thermal devices for both active and passive thermo-regulated apparel are capable of either heating or cooling, but not both heating and cooling.
One type of thermal device for thermo-regulated apparel is a powered thermoelectric device. A thermoelectric device is a heat pump that transfers heat from a cold side of the device to a hot side of the device, with consumption of electrical energy. Thermoelectric devices are desirable, because they allow precise control over heat transfer rates, and they are capable of providing both heating and cooling. To maintain desired surface temperatures, however, heat must generally be dissipated from the hot side of the thermoelectric device.
Previous attempts to dissipate heat from thermoelectric devices in thermo-regulated apparel have been largely unsuccessful. One reason for this difficulty is that the insulating properties of apparel make it difficult to transfer heat through the apparel to the surroundings. Further, to achieve adequate heat dissipation by natural or forced convection, the thermoelectric module must generally placed on an exterior portion of the apparel, which may be unattractive, cumbersome, and unsuitable for active use. Achieving sufficient heat dissipation rates through radiative heat transfer, forced convection, and/or phase change materials may not be feasible.
There is a need for thermo-regulated apparel that is capable of providing sufficient rates of both heating and cooling. In particular there is a need for thermo-regulated apparel that includes a thermoelectric device and is capable of adequately dissipating heat from the hot side of the device, while remaining attractive and suitable for active use.